Sex and sexuality in Satyism

Satyism has a longstanding tradition of discourse and analysis on the matters of sex and sexuality, and excerpts from the life of Adripathi Adhikari address the topic in some detail. His immediate successors, some of whom feature in these excerpts, both solidified and expanded the official stance of Satyism towards these topics, and helped to mend perceived doctrinal inconsistencies in a series of rulings and dialogues resulting from an early form of the Phuli Tea Ceremony. Overall, Satyism has been considered a sex-positive religion, and is considered progressive in its official stances towards sexual and gender expression.

In the Jivani, Adripathi Adhikari writes at several points about the nature of love and sex, as well as its positive and negative expressions. An advocate of monogamy, against the polygamy and polyandry of his time, he wrote that to have multiple partners or loose relations was a sign of a weak spirit, and labeled lust, or desire for flesh, one of the Four Great Temptations. By contrast, he states that monogamous love is a sign of control and pure intention. He compares polygamy to addiction, and denounces the practice in public debates.

On the topic of gender expression, Adripathi took a notably favorable stance toward the Four Genders, conventionally translated as Male, Female, Intersex, and Eunuch. This translation has been debated by scholars of the First Phuli Empire and prehistoric Phula, and is often considered to require more context in explanation or otherwise improved terminology. Details on the Four Genders will be provided in this article.

The topic of sexuality in the Jivani is intimate to Adripathi Adhikari himself, whose eldest child was homosexual. His response is said to be a critical moment in the formation of Satyist ideology, and laid the foundation from which Satyist ideals of love, romance, respect, and familial piety. The resulting events would also help to define the rules of the Adhikari Succession and the barriers which it may transgress physically without losing validity. Adripathi Adhikari is said to have initially rejected his daughter, but after a debate, changed his mind and began to accept her unconditionally.

In the Jivani

Adripathi Adhikari was forced to confront several issues of sex and sexuality within his own life. Within his biography, he addresses both his view of sex and sexuality in a physical and earthly sense, as well as their relation to spiritual awakening and spiritual wellness. In the modern day, Adripathi Adhikari has been praised as a sex-positive and gender-progressive philosopher, although many of his views are extensions of the Satric and Tinzetic cultures of his day rather than unique to his own philosophy. Others have criticized his stances as being antithetical to free love, and have accused him and Satyism broadly of slut-shaming. Scholars of Satyism state that Adripathi Adhikari's views were complex, and deeply rooted in his spiritual tradition and personal experiences.

On sex

In the Jivani, sex is portrayed as a largely positive interaction. Adripathi Adhikari considers it a means to bliss and clarity, and an acceptable form of recreation even when without procreative intent. The Jivani claims that the 'joyous union of souls' that occurs during sexual intercourse is a path toward spiritual fulfillment under the proper circumstances of a single, consensual, and long-term partner. The climax of such a union is described as a 'weightlessness' acting as a microcosm of enlightenment. The point that both partners must equally enjoy the experience to achieve true fulfillment and enlightenment is emphasized heavily, although there is also discussion about more one-sided enjoyment elsewhere.

One-sided enjoyment is defined in two categories, surrounding consent. Sexual assault is strictly forbidden under Satyism. Adripathi Adhikari wrote several chapters discussing his experience as part of Avanidhara raiding parties during his teenage years. He observed that the conduct of the raiders was fueled by excess, that its enjoyment was merely temporary, and that it left the soul of the raiders yearning for more and trapped in a cycle. On the part of the victims, he wrote that the acts of raiding and assault exchanged feeble and fleeting pleasure for lasting trauma and violence against fellow humans. The exchange, he said, was imbalanced, unfair, and unethical.

In the case that consent is provided, Adripathi calls this Intercourse of Compassion. He states that it is an act of compassion for one partner to willingly sacrifice their enjoyment for the sake of their partner, and considers it a type of charity. The consequence of this classification is that such acts are considered inherently non-reciprocal, only done out of compassion or love rather than in exchange for something else. Various sexual acts are listed among the types of Intercourse of Passion, such as oral sex and manual sex. If these are done mutually, they are not considered Intercourse of Compassion.

Bearing some similarity to other traditional South Coian philosophies, Adripathi Adhikari considers intercourse to be a form of bonding, sharing, or exchanging soul or life energy. The Jivani considers regular intercourse to be healthy between dedicated partners, and states that the level of intimacy experienced and the exchange of life energies is only suitable for partners in a dedicated and long-term relationship. To be too loose with one's intimacy is to partake in unhealthy excess and addiction of the flesh, and is considered to be lacking in respect and love for the self. Moreover, the philosophy that free love participants exchange energies with many short-term partners is considered by Adripathi Adhikari to be a form of vampirism, as well as spreading one's vitality too thin to be healthy. He compares the process to adding honey to tea, stating that tea is appreciable, and honey is appreciable, but together in balance and moderation they are better together - but if one adds too much of any ingredient, even if they like that ingredient, the mixture is ruined. Some modern scholars believe Adripathi Adhikari may have been referring to Phuli Red Honey, which is lethal in high doses, and which Jyoho practitioners of his day would consume in unhealthy doses to weaken the veil between the spiritual and physical worlds.